In My Defense
by fevildevil
Summary: Alya forces Marinette to attend a self-defense class. Alya forces a superheroine in disguise, to a self-defense class. This was fine. Everything would be fine. Then again, if everything were fine, I wouldn't have much of a story to write...


"I really don't think this is necessary," said Marinette as she walked alongside Alya toward the dojo.

"It's totally necessary," Alya corrected, her arm looped around her friend's. "Marinette. You are a cute young girl walking the streets of Paris alone. It's dangerous! You could get hurt!"

"But Ladybug and Chat Noir-," Marinette began.

"Can't be everywhere at the same time! Girl. We're going."

Really, they were already on their way. Marinette had long since been trying to talk Alya out of going to a self defense class, especially since she herself was already a crimefighting superhero who saved Paris regularly. Not to mention that there was a slight possibility that her instinct might be cause for some suspicion.

She had encouraged Alya to go, but hadn't expected to be dragged along as well.

"Besides," Alya continued, a sly grin on her face, "it might help you out with the two left feet you've got." Marinette feigned offense, and promptly found herself tripping over a small lip in the floor.

They arrived at the dojo without much further incident, and after changing, walked into the room they were holding lessons. Marinette was shocked to see Nino already stretching. She looked to Alya, who did not seem to miss a beat in going to greet her boyfriend. Clearly, he had been invited without her knowledge, which could only mean…

The feeling of surprise was becoming rather numb, and she wasn't surprised to be surprised any longer. If anything, she was rather tired of being surprised that day. She was not, however, tired or numb from the feeling of panic that surged through her.

"A-Adrien!" she spouted, "I didn't! You! Hi! I didn't expect to see you! Here! I mean, I didn't expect to see you here. Not that you can't be here." He smiled shyly and rubbed at the back of his neck.

"Nino insisted I come with him and it didn't seem like a bad idea, you know?" His chuckle was nervous, which only made her more nervous. If he had continued to speak, Marinette didn't notice. All of her mental capacity was too busy retaining the image of Adrien in a muscle top and gym shorts. She gazed at his bare arms a bit too longingly before Alya decided it was getting creepy and interrupted what little fantasies had begun to form in her mind.

"You're drooling," she crooned into her friend's ear. At the sound of Alya's voice, Marinette snapped to attention. Thankfully, Nino had pulled her victim away from her sights before Adrien had noticed.

A mischievous, shit-eating grin began to grow on Alya's face as she watched her scheme unfold beautifully. It was an obvious scheme, where she forcibly put Adrien and Marinette into situations where they had to interact and converse, but it was a much needed scheme, as they were the only real opportunities Marinette had to appear a normal human being in front of her crush.

Marinette was grateful when the instructor materialized before them.

* * *

Adrien's gym attire was a little more than a bit distracting. It was extremely distracting. It was particularly distracting in a way that Marinette did not want to be distracted in at that very moment.

It wasn't as if she did not enjoy looking. In fact, it was her enjoyment that was causing issue for the moment. And it also mattered less to her if she had been caught staring for the millionth time. No, her primary concern was her involvement with a self-defence class.

What if she screwed up? What if she accidently hurt someone? She had never fought outside of her suit before. The results could have been disastrous. What if she was actually ridiculously weak? Thought that would not make much sense considering how much heavy lifting she did at the bakery. That only worried her more about potentially hurting someone. What if she had super human strength and her suit was the only thing keeping it in check. What if her clumsiness was cause for a massive Rube-Goldberg chain reaction that eventually was cause for the destruction of the entire world? WHAT IF SHE EMBARASSED HERSELF IN FRONT OF ADRIEN?

* * *

Alya wondered if she was a bad friend for enjoying her best friend's mental breakdown. Her eyes flickered to the model's figure often enough that Alya could only imagine the chaos ensuing. It surprised her that Marinette could get any school work done at all, what with the boy sitting in her direct line of vision. Though, Alya had to admit that she was getting better. Full sentences were a major step up from incoherent babbling.

Only part of her consciousness was watching the demonstration that followed the brief introduction and basic rules of self-defence. Something about how to retaliate when an attacker comes from behind. Whatever it was, she was watching close enough to imitate. There were more dire things at hand for the moment, like watching her friend completely freak out.

"Oh my god, what do I do? What do I do?" Marinette muttered to herself, grabbing at her head in various angles. Alya leaned in and attempted to calm the storm.

"Girl, relax. It's going to be fine."

Marinette did not appear to have heard her.

Rolling her eyes, Alya side-scooted over to her boyfriend.

"Are you listening to what he's saying?" she whispered, nodding her head toward the instructor.

"Yea," Nino replied. His eyes shifted over to Marinette. "Is… she okay?"

"Probably," Alya shrugged. Nino raised an eyebrow.

"You didn't tell her we were coming today did you."

"No, I did not."

"Right." This is explained many things.

"Alright everyone," the instructor announced, "I need you guys to break off into pairs and practice the technique I just demonstrated." Of course, Alya took firm hold of her boyfriend, staring Adrien directly in the eyes as she did. He blinked, clueless regarding her sudden mischief, and made his way over to Marinette.

Everything was going according to plan.

* * *

Sometimes Adrien had trouble understanding Alya. Sometimes, he wondered if Nino understood her. And sometimes he wondered what he did to deserve such awesome friends.

He had somewhat expected that Alya and Nino would have partnered up, which left him to practice with Marinette. If anything, he was excited to do so. There hadn't been as many opportunities for the two of them to get to know one another, but since Alya and Nino had hit it off, he had plenty of chances to hang out with the shy and stuttering girl.

Speaking of shy and stuttering…

Marinette was currently, indisposed. Or rather, Adrien believed her so. Mentally indisposed. She likely hadn't heard the instructor telling them to pair off, or notice the fact that Alya had left her side, least of all recognize that he was walking toward her. He could practically see the steam emitting her ears, though he couldn't be quite so sure if the effects were real, or an illusion caused by the sheer and utter panic that crossed her face. Her hands were frantic, as if she tried to hold back and bottle up every instinct of dread and alarm she possibly could.

She was probably worried about doing well in the class. He definitely had been, though for very different reasons. He hadn't exactly planned to show off his amazing superhero fighting skills and instincts in the middle of a publicly promoted self defense course for the word to see. But had resolved himself to do his best and play off any accidents to his personal trainer and physical model routine. He was not about to miss an opportunity to hang out with his friends outside of school.

In the most comforting manner he could possibly muster, Adrien approached the unaware Marinette and placed a hand gently on her shoulder.

Before a single word could even slip from his lips, her blue eyes seemed to engage, and her right hand had gripped down on his wrist by her left shoulder, prying it aggressively from its place, and nearly yanking his arm out of its socket. This was not a thing he wanted to be happening to that particular limb. His palm was face up and his arm bending in a way that was most painful. He however did not have much time to consider the newly achieved pain in his shoulder, as Marinette shifted her weight to use the momentum of his body trying to follow his arm. She placed her other hand on the square of his back, and pushed him down to the floor, straddling him, and bending his arm so his hand nearly touched the back of his.

With the air physically and forcibly removed from his torso and lungs, Adrien coughed in an attempt to relieve some of the hurt that was sure to haunt him for days to come. The bruising was definitely not something his father was going to like. Several curse words threatened to leave him, though did not get very far, the only sound he could make were attempts to refill his lungs.

And yet despite himself, his position, and the shock, a part of him really wanted to see the expression on her face; the intensity of her eyes. He could only imagine the look on his own, and was thankful that nobody had recorded the event because of it. Adrien could feel his eyes grow and glisten. She was amazing. Marinette had, without thinking, completely disabled him. Without thinking, she had disabled a superhero. Granted, he wasn't entirely certain how much of his abilities translated and remained with him outside of his transformation but he was still very impressed. And unexplainably pleased. Or rather, not pleased, but excited. Or perhaps not excited, but… Well, although he could not place it, he undoubtedly found Marinette marginally more _striking_.

…

Pun aside, the feeling nagged at him. The pressure felt similar to the one on his face, though closer to his heart than his head. He struggled for a moment under the weight of her before he realized everyone was staring at him.

The room was silent.

Marinette still pushed forcefully at Adrien's arm, and only when the instructor disturbed her instinctive concentration did she gasp and nearly fall from her seat on his back. She clambered about five feet away from him and held herself. Returned was the panicked Marinette that he knew too well.

Nino was at his side in heartbeat, helping him up. The rest of the class was too busy either crowding, or staying very far away from Marinette.

"Are you okay?" Nino asked, both bewildered and concerned. "I didn't know Marinette could do that." Adrien rolled his shoulder back, stretching out the joints, and chuckled.

"From the looks of it, Marinette didn't know Marinette could do that," he replied. Adrien glanced over at her and unconsciously bit his lip. Something about her abuse on his person reminded him of someone, though he couldn't quite place it. It was a confidence that had shone through when she had become class president. It was a confidence he rarely had the opportunity to see up close.

Perhaps the day hadn't gone the way he had expected to, but he'd be lying if he said he didn't get to know Marinette a little bit better.

Adrien tried to ignore and push away the thoughts he had when he was lying face first in the gym mats. And the fact that he kind of wanted her to do it again. He pushed those away too. Way back. Furthest away from his consciousness as he could.

They were muddling his pleasant day of getting to know her better.

It was like trying to push a beach ball to the bottom of the ocean.

* * *

 **Author's Note:** I finally got around to writing this! For context, see this post I made about this AU on tumblr (same username). Hope you like it! Please let me know if that is not the maneuver for an arm on the shoulder. I took one self defense class like, 5 years ago, but I tried to go through the motions again and that felt about right.

Man, I'm not great at this 'comedy' thing. Everything ends up being serious and stuff with a hint of comedy :/


End file.
